A Touch Of Greene(Part 3):A Night On Call
by onlie
Summary: The adventures of Dr. Rachel Greene continue


Rachel was anxious and nervous.It was her first night on call and she had to stay in the hospital all night and throughout most of tomorrow until her shift ended.Not that she couldn't handle it or anything.But this was her first all night as an intern.  
  
She had had ten hits for the day and that was just in the morning and afternoon shifts!She was just doing the scut and paper work now and as usual the lab people were taking eternity to finish her tests.Dr. DiCastro had just entered and got his stuff from his locker.Then he went over to Rachel and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"If you need any help,anything tonight,just call me okay."  
  
"No thanks.",Rachel said smiling a little,"I can handle it."  
  
Rachel tried to put a brave face to try not to show Dr. DiCastro no weaknesses.But she seemed hesitant a bit and believed that DiCastro actually meant what he said.Rachel's attitude towards him was generally cold and unassuming given his showoffish and somewhat arrogant nature.But he also showed a kind and gentle nature that made Rachel look at him more closely.  
  
DiCastro nodded and left and officially,Rachel was now on call.  
  
++++++++++  
  
Rachel's took the first cup of coffee in her life.Normally this was a no no with her parents but she somehow had to keep awake for most of the night.Oddly enough she was the ONLY surgical resident on call since her partner was at home with the flu.So she was stuck with the surgical consults and suturing.  
  
She did 6 sutures in the first four hours of her on call shift and it was still 10 pm.No hits so far so no more paper work or tests to run for the time being.  
  
She had decided to get a bit of sleep and found an empty examination room.Placing her pager under her pillow so she could hear it when it went off.Then she went to sleep.  
  
Just as she close her eyes her beeper went off.Drudging to the emergency room she was greeted by a gurney smashing through the emergency room doors.It held a man in his forties,still alive and vitals stable but shaky.He had a gunshot wound to the abdomen.Rachel then realized that she was the ONLY doctor there at the moment.  
  
Rachel was scared but kept her wits about her.She ordered stabilizing meds and an abdominal x-ray.  
  
Then she examined the wound and found it was a penetrating wound on the mid lower abdomen.When she checked the man's back she realized that the bullet was still inside.  
  
"We better get him to the OR fast!Which cardiothoracic surgeons are available tonight.And where is everyone?!"  
  
"Dr. Peterson is doing an emergency bypass.Dr. Canard is assisting.And Drs. Giles and Cambridge are attending a conference in New York."  
  
"In other words NO ONE is available at the moment?"  
  
The nurse just shrugged.Rachel hated this.She had to call someone and decided to call Dr. Geiger.  
  
++++++++++  
  
Dr. Jeffrey Geiger stormed into the ER and was appraised of the situation.He immediately took over and asked where the other cardiothoracic surgeons were.  
  
"Their in New York.The conference remember."  
  
Dr. Geiger was pissed.  
  
"From now on no more conferences!",he shouted to no one in particular.  
  
He turned to follow the patient to the OR but stopped and turned to Rachel.  
  
"You feel like assisting me in this operation?"  
  
Rachel was surprised and very excited.  
  
"Come on.",Dr. Geiger waved Rachel to join them.  
  
"Wait!Who's going to handle the ER?"  
  
"I'll bring Dr. Canard over from SICU.I want you to do this operation."  
  
Rachel stopped for a moment and looked at Dr. Geiger strangely.  
  
++++++++++  
  
Dr. Geiger had thrown Rachel a curve but it wasn't that bad.The truth was he knew that sooner or later she was going to have to learn to perform operations herself and the sooner the better.Rachel liked surgery and found it fascinating.And she had the best hands for it.He talked her through the operation,occasionally guiding her hands directly and carefully.Of course he would get frack from Drs. Watters and Wilkes and especially Rachel's parents but he did not care.It was what Rachel wanted and he was giving her a chance.  
  
Rachel was nervous but Dr. Geiger's gentle and patient teaching helped a lot.The patient was stablized and strong so he wasn't putting him in danger.In fact Rachel was enjoying it in a way.Rachel had found the bullet and thankfully it missed the spine completely.Rachel gently pulled it out of the patient's gut and placed it in a bowl held near her by a Nurse Atkinson.Then she began to repair the intestines damaged by the bullet.  
  
"That's it just take your time.The patient's stabilized so there's no hurry.As long as you get it done right he should be fine."  
  
"I'm sorry.",Rachel said as she almost made a mistake.  
  
"Don't be sorry.Just do it.Don't worry.I won't let you kill the patient."  
  
Rachel with Dr. Geiger's help,finished the operation with flying colors and after closing the patient up,Dr. Geiger went through the SICU orders and charts with her.He reassigned her to the SICU and put Dr. Canard in Rachel's place.Rachel was overseeing the care and treatment of patients coming from and to surgery.Since it was late at night,she was watching and monitoring patients recovering from surgery.  
  
Nothing much happened for the past few hours but by then it was after 5am.Rachel yawned and thought back to the operation she just performed and in a way she actually enjoyed it.She found it fun and challenging working to save a person's life directly and she felt more confident.Oddly enough she never found gore and blood very nauseating and she guessed that might be because she frequently visited County with her father a few times when she was younger.  
  
Rachel heard a knock on the entrance door to the SICU.She saw a tall,bearded black man stood there and Rachel recognized him immediately.It was Dr. Peter Benton.  
  
"Hi Dr. Benton.What brings you to Chicago Hope?"  
  
"I just wanted to check on you.I heard that you were doing your surgical internship here and thought I'd see for myself."  
  
Rachel just shrugged at that.She was too tired to really respond.  
  
"So how are you managing?",Benton continued.  
  
"Fine I guess.Mostly tired though."  
  
Benton nodded,"That's natural.Being an intern,especially a surgical one is very demanding work.I just wanted to see how you are doing."  
  
Suddely Rachel heard the alarms go off.It was the patient she had operated on earlier.  
  
Rachel seemed panicked but tried to steady herself.She noticed that the man's heart rate was extremely high and his blood pressure began to drop.  
  
"Oh no!",Rachel said as she listened to his heart.It seemed to be struggling."What's going on!"  
  
"He's having a Myocardial Infarction!",Benton said calmly.  
  
Dr Geiger and several nurses brought in a crash cart.Just in time too as the man went into ventricular fibrillation.Rachel was shocked for a moment but snapped back into reality as she took over compressions.She stood on one of the bed supports doing her best to provide good compressions to keep man alive.  
  
Then they tried to shock man and eventually he went flatline.Dr. Geiger opened the man's chest and reached in and tried to massage the man's heart but nothing happened.  
  
It was over.  
  
"Time of death:5:05am."  
  
++++++++++  
  
"Nice try people.",Geiger looked at Rachel who seemed shell shocked.He went over to her and put his hand on her shoulder,"You did the best you can.Just shake it off ok?"  
  
Rachel just stood there shellshocked.She had seen death before but this one seemed to affect her more than the others.She held back her tears and could not believe what just happened.So she walked out of the SICU and went into the residents locker room and cried.  
  
A few minutes later Dr. Benton entered and sat beside the little girl and offered her a hankerchief.Rachel thanked him and used it to sweep away her tears.  
  
"He was fine after the operation.I don't understand.How did he die?",Rachel said.  
  
Benton just shrugged,"It could have been any number of things but it might have been a embolism.It's not your fault."  
  
Rachel just sat there and let the words sink in.  
  
"You know,the thing about being a doctor is that you can't always succeed.You will fail no matter how hard you try and whether or not you performed the procedure perfectly or not.Sometimes that's just the way things happen."  
  
"Have you ever lost patients before?I mean no matter how hard you try they just die anyways?",Rachel asked.  
  
"Happens all the time.",Benton answered,"The important thing is to move on.To keep doing your best."  
  
"I guess I am a terrible surgeon huh?",Rachel smiled shyly as if admitting she were right.  
  
"Not really.I've seen worse doctors than you.Doctors who just treat their patients as if they don't care.At least you care about your patients Rachel.That's a good sign.Personally,I think you'll do okay."  
  
"You mean that?"  
  
Benton nodded.Then he smiled to Rachel,"What do you say we go get some breakfast?My treat."  
  
Rachel shrugged and nodded still sad over losing her first patient.Benton put a comforting hand on her shoulder and Rachel smiled sadly.Then Rachel got up and the two left for the cafeteria arm in arm.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
